92 research outputs found
A Wolbachia triple-strain infection generates self-incompatibility in Aedes albopictus and transmission instability in Aedes aegypti.
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Artificially-introduced transinfections of the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia pipientis have the potential to reduce the vectorial capacity of mosquito populations for viruses such as dengue and chikungunya. Aedes albopictus has two native strains of Wolbachia, but their replacement with the non-native wMel strain blocks transmission of both viruses. The pattern of cytoplasmic incompatiiblity generated by wMel with wild-types is bidirectional. Novel-plus-native-strain co-infection is predicted to lead to a more efficient population spread capacity; from a bi-directional to a uni-directional cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) model. RESULTS: A novel-plus-native-strain triple-infection in Ae. albopictus (wAlbAwAlbBwMel) was generated. Although triple-infected females were fully reproductively viable with uninfected males, they displayed self-incompatibility. qPCR of specific strains in dissected tissues suggested that this may be due to the displacement of one of the native strains (wAlbA) from the ovaries of triple-infected females. When the triple strain infection was transferred into Aedes aegypti it displayed an unexpectedly low level of transmission fidelity of the three strains in this species. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that combining Wolbachia strains can lead to co-infection interactions that can affect outcomes of CI and maternal transmission
Perturbed cholesterol and vesicular trafficking associated with dengue blocking in Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti cells
Get PDFWolbachia are intracellular maternally inherited bacteria that can spread through insect populations and block virus transmission by mosquitoes, providing an important approach to dengue control. To better understand the mechanisms of virus inhibition, we here perform proteomic quantification of the effects of Wolbachia in Aedes aegypti mosquito cells and midgut. Perturbations are observed in vesicular trafficking, lipid metabolism and in the endoplasmic reticulum that could impact viral entry and replication. Wolbachia-infected cells display a differential cholesterol profile, including elevated levels of esterified cholesterol, that is consistent with perturbed intracellular cholesterol trafficking. Cyclodextrins have been shown to reverse lipid accumulation defects in cells with disrupted cholesterol homeostasis. Treatment of Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti cells with 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin restores dengue replication in Wolbachia-carrying cells, suggesting dengue is inhibited in Wolbachia-infected cells by localised cholesterol accumulation. These results demonstrate parallels between the cellular Wolbachia viral inhibition phenotype and lipid storage genetic disorders
Wolbachia strain wAu efficiently blocks arbovirus transmission in Aedes albopictus
Get PDFThe global incidence of arboviral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, including dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika, has increased dramatically in recent decades. The release of Aedes aegypti carrying the maternally inherited symbiont Wolbachia as an intervention to control arboviruses is being trialled in several countries. However, these efforts are compromised in many endemic regions due to the co-localization of the secondary vector Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito. Ae. albopictus has an expanding global distribution following incursions into a number of new territories. To date, only the wMel and wPip strains of Wolbachia have been reported to be transferred into and characterized in this vector. A Wolbachia strain naturally infecting Drosophila simulans, wAu, was selected for transfer into a Malaysian Ae. albopictus line to create a novel triple-strain infection. The newly generated line showed self-compatibility, moderate fitness cost and complete resistance to Zika and dengue infections
Leishmania major Glycosylation Mutants Require Phosphoglycans (lpg2−) but Not Lipophosphoglycan (lpg1−) for Survival in Permissive Sand Fly Vectors
Get PDFPhlebotomine sand flies are small blood-feeding insects, medically important as vectors of protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. Sand flies species can be divided roughly into two groups, termed specific or permissive, depending on their ability to support development of one or a few strains vs. a broad spectrum of these parasites. In this study, we explored the ability of two Leishmania major glycocalyx mutants to survive within these different types of vectors. The lpg1− mutant, which specifically lacks lipophosphoglycan (LPG), was able to survive normally in two permissive species, Phlebotomus argentipes and P. perniciosus, but was only able to survive within the specific species P. duboscqi for a limited time prior to dissolution of the peritrophic matrix. Consistent with its classification as a specific sand fly vector, P. duboscqi was not able to support development of L. infantum. The lpg2− L. major mutant, which is a broader mutant and lacks all phosphoglycans including LPG and proteophosphoglycans, was unable to survive in all the three vector species tested. This study extends the knowledge on the role of Leishmania major surface glycoconjugates to development in three important vector species and gives supporting evidence for the existence of an LPG-independent mechanism for survival in sand flies, as well as the importance of LPG2-dependent glycoconjugates in parasite survival
The Wolbachia strain wAu provides highly efficient virus transmission blocking in Aedes aegypti
Get PDFIntroduced transinfections of the inherited bacteria Wolbachia can inhibit transmission of
viruses by Aedes mosquitoes, and in Ae. aegypti are now being deployed for dengue control
in a number of countries. Only three Wolbachia strains from the large number that exist in
nature have to date been introduced and characterized in this species. Here novel Ae.
aegypti transinfections were generated using the wAlbA and wAu strains. In its native Ae.
albopictus, wAlbA is maintained at lower density than the co-infecting wAlbB, but following
transfer to Ae. aegypti the relative strain density was reversed, illustrating the strain-specific
nature of Wolbachia-host co-adaptation in determining density. The wAu strain also reached
high densities in Ae. aegypti, and provided highly efficient transmission blocking of dengue
and Zika viruses. Both wAu and wAlbA were less susceptible than wMel to density reduction/incomplete
maternal transmission resulting from elevated larval rearing temperatures.
Although wAu does not induce cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), it was stably combined with
a CI-inducing strain as a superinfection, and this would facilitate its spread into wild populations.
Wolbachia wAu provides a very promising new option for arbovirus control, particularly
for deployment in hot tropical climates
Enhancement of Aedes aegypti susceptibility to dengue by Wolbachia is not supported
Get PDFNo abstract available
Novel control strategies for mosquito-borne diseases.
Get PDFMosquito-borne diseases are an increasing global health challenge, threatening over 40% of the world's population. Despite major advances in malaria control since 2000, recent progress has stalled. Additionally, the risk of Aedes-borne arboviruses is rapidly growing, with the unprecedented spread of dengue and chikungunya viruses, outbreaks of yellow fever and the 2015 epidemic of Zika virus in Latin America. To counteract this growing problem, diverse and innovative mosquito control technologies are currently under development. Conceptually, these span an impressive spectrum of approaches, from invasive transgene cassettes with the potential to crash mosquito populations or reduce the vectorial capacity of a population, to low-cost alterations in housing design that restrict mosquito entry. This themed issue will present articles providing insight into the breadth of mosquito control research, while demonstrating the requirement for an interdisciplinary approach. The issue will highlight mosquito control technologies at varying stages of development and includes both opinion pieces and research articles with laboratory and field-based data on control strategy development. This article is part of the theme issue 'Novel control strategies for mosquito-borne diseases'
The use of islands and cluster-randomized trials to investigate vector control interventions: a case study on the Bijagós archipelago, Guinea-Bissau.
Get PDFVector-borne diseases threaten the health of populations around the world. While key interventions continue to provide protection from vectors, there remains a need to develop and test new vector control tools. Cluster-randomized trials, in which the intervention or control is randomly allocated to clusters, are commonly selected for such evaluations, but their design must carefully consider cluster size and cluster separation, as well as the movement of people and vectors, to ensure sufficient statistical power and avoid contamination of results. Island settings present an opportunity to conduct these studies. Here, we explore the benefits and challenges of conducting intervention studies on islands and introduce the Bijagós archipelago of Guinea-Bissau as a potential study site for interventions intended to control vector-borne diseases. This article is part of the theme issue 'Novel control strategies for mosquito-borne diseases'
Wolbachia-virus interactions and arbovirus control through population replacement in mosquitoes
Get PDFFollowing transfer into the primary arbovirus vector Aedes aegypti, several strains of the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia have been shown to inhibit the transmission of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses, important human pathogens that cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. In addition to pathogen inhibition, many Wolbachia strains manipulate host reproduction, resulting in an invasive capacity of the bacterium in insect populations. This has led to the deployment of Wolbachia as a dengue control tool, and trials have reported significant reductions in transmission in release areas. Here, we discuss the possible mechanisms of Wolbachia-virus inhibition and the implications for long-term success of dengue control. We also consider the evidence presented in several reports that Wolbachia may cause an enhancement of replication of certain viruses under particular conditions, and conclude that these should not cause any concerns with respect to the application of Wolbachia to arbovirus control
Wolbachia strain wAlbB maintains high density and dengue inhibition following introduction into a field population of Aedes aegypti
Get PDFAedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying the wAlbB Wolbachia strain show a reduced capacity to transmit dengue virus. wAlbB has been introduced into wild Ae. aegypti populations in several field sites in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where it has persisted at high frequency for more than 2 years and significantly reduced dengue incidence. Although these encouraging results indicate that wAlbB releases can be an effective dengue control strategy, the long-term success depends on wAlbB maintaining high population frequencies and virus transmission inhibition, and both could be compromised by Wolbachia–host coevolution in the field. Here, wAlbB-carrying Ae. aegypti collected from the field 20 months after the cessation of releases showed no reduction in Wolbachia density or tissue distribution changes compared to a wAlbB laboratory colony. The wAlbB strain continued to induce complete unidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility, showed perfect maternal transmission under laboratory conditions, and retained its capacity to inhibit dengue. Additionally, a field-collected wAlbB line was challenged with Malaysian dengue patient blood, and showed significant blocking of virus dissemination to the salivary glands. These results indicate that wAlbB continues to inhibit currently circulating strains of dengue in field populations of Ae. aegypti, and provides additional support for the continued scale-up of Wolbachia wAlbB releases for dengue control
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